In a written tribute in the newspaper, three people describing Mr May as a "neighbour and very good friend" expressed their sadness. They wrote: "You were one in a million and will be sadly missed. Sleep peacefully."

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Patient safety is a priority, the chief executive of the James Paget University Hospitals trust said today, after a hospital worker was arrested on suspicion of murder by detectives investigating the death of a patient. Christine Allen added:

Our thoughts are with the family of this patient at what is a very difficult time.

Our priority is patient safety and we understand that this news will cause concern.

At this time, we believe it is an isolated incident and relates to the alleged action of a single member of staff.

Throughout this difficult period, the James Paget University Hospital will continue to provide the best possible care to our patients and we are fully co-operating with the police.

We are investigating an allegation that a drugs overdose was administered to a patient, leading to his death.

A Home Office post-mortem, carried out earlier this week, determined the cause of Mr May's death as heart failure and we now await the results of further toxicology tests which will help inform our inquiry.

We understand that this news may generate concern and it's important for us to underline that our investigation, which is still at an early stage, is based on a single report of an isolated incident and that the hospital trust is co-operating fully with the investigation.

Police said the investigation is being led by a joint Norfolk and Suffolk major investigation team.

The hospital called in the police after an internal investigation following an allegation from staff. Credit: Press Association

The James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said they called police to investigate the suspicious death of James May, the 76-year-old man who died whilst in hospital on September 20. In a statement, the hospital said:

"The James Paget University Hospital, Gorleston, has called in the police following the suspicious death of a 76-year-old man.

"This follows an allegation of medical malpractice made by a member of staff after the patient's death on Friday September 20. This matter was investigated internally and subsequently referred to the police.

"The police joint major investigation team has launched an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death."